Banding tools are used to secure articles in a bundle, or to bind packages. After it is tightened, the band is held in position by a seal that is crimped on the band. The seal, particularly if it is intended for use on a plastic band, has a plurality of teeth on its inner surface. When the seal is crimped around the band, the teeth in the seal penetrate the surface of the band to assure that the band is held securely within the seal.
There exist prior art crimping devices that comprise sets of opposing short and long jaws pivotally mounted on a set of flat shares. The row of short jaws bends and closes a short side of a seal, and the row of longer jaws bends and closes a long side of the seal. When performing a crimping operation, the jaws press the seal against the flat shares and create several corrugations on the seal. The corrugations formed help the teeth of the seal to penetrate deeper into the band, thereby increasing the holding strength of the seal. Further, the series of corrugations increases the rigidity of the seal.
The prior art devices are subject to three main disadvantages: (1) The jaws of the row that bends and closes the long side of the seal must be formed with a relatively long extended ends that are unsupported. That does not allow to develop a closing force on an extended ends of the jaws that is required for sufficient closing a seal. (2) The unsupported long ends of jaws are under a heavy load, and therefore prone to frequent breakage. (3) Due to the fact that the jaws of opposing rows have different shape, the operator must place the device in one required orientation to properly close the seal.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a crimping device that more efficiently closes a seal on a plastic band.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that more effectively spreads the forces generated during the crimping operation, and thereby to reduce the tendency of the crimping jaws to break.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device that requires minimal force to be applied by the operator, and does not require the operator to place the device on the seal in one specific orientation.